Aggressive
by MsFloofy
Summary: Charlotte Clarke, a talented swimmer, became devastated, knowing that she and her family had to leave Australia for Iwatobi, Japan. But when she enrolls to Samezuka Academy's sister school and reunited with a certain shark-teethed redhead, thing started to look up for Charlie. Because what happens when two competitive swimmers meet? Things get aggressive.
1. Prologue

**(Flashback)**

When I woke up this morning, it was still dark, but the sky was starting to glow, signaling the rising of the sun. I got out of bed and quickly put on a dark red sweater that was lying around on my bedroom floor. I went out on my small balcony, ignoring the sharp, cold breeze on my face, and got my feet up on the railing. With less difficulty, I hoisted myself up on the roof.

My house wasn't that large. Even though my father works as a lawyer in a well-known law firm, he wanted a simple house and live a simple life, thus a moderate sized house in a normal neighborhood. Due to the size of our house, it was easy for me to climb up the roof.

Though it was colder up on the roof, the sight that I was about to see will be worth it. A flash of orange began to gradually spread across the sky. Then the shade of orange slowly began to have a mix of yellow. As always, I was filled with awe as the sky grew brighter and brighter.

I didn't know how long I was sitting on the roof. I only realised that I stayed out there for so long when the sun was out full blast.

"Charlie, come on down," Mum called out from my balcony. "Breakfast is ready."

* * *

"The sunrise was beautiful today," I commented in the middle of having toast with ham and cheese omelette with my family. "It's a wonderful day for a swim."

My mother sighed, "Charlie, you have to focus more on your studies than swimming. I've told you that already _a thousand_ _times._ "

"But, Mum, you know that Charlie will still say, 'I love to swim. Besides, we live near the sea. You can't keep the water away from me,'" my older brother, Tyler, said, looking pleased at his impersonation of me.

Now, my brother is the one my parents always wanted to have. Good with his brain, student council president, vice-captain of the debate team. From his grades, he's had offers from other private boarding schools from other countries.

And there's me.

I wasn't good with academics... at all. But my sports grades were shooting through the roof, if I may gush. My father didn't really give much thought about it, as long as I was happy with what I do. My mother, on the other hand, wants me to do something worthwhile that will give me a boost when its time to choose a career.

All I can think about is being a swimming pro.

Obviously, my mother did not approve. My mother always thought that being an athlete as a profession isn't very stable as a career, which leads us to numerous arguments. Tyler always tries to pacify my mother when we argue, but I know he supports me.

"Speaking of swimming, Russell and Lory are taking in a kid today," my father said. "He's from Japan, and he's a swimmer. You should make friends with him, Charlotte."

"Dad, he's a guy. You're supposed to tell me to stay away from guys since I'm your sweet girl," I snickered.

"Oh please, like you need Dad to tell you that," Tyler snorted. "You scare the boys away before they get to you."

"I do not!"

"Really? How about Calvin? He had puppy eyes for you for over a week until you just had to challenge him for a swimming race."

I blushed and looked down at my toast and eggs. It was true, but it wasn't really my fault that they can't keep up with me.

"Children, play nice," Mum tutted. "Tyler, don't you have to go to the library for your research? And you, Charlie, are still thirteen. You're barely even a teenager yet. No boys for you and focus on your studies, and speaking of studies, you are not allowed out of the house until you finish your homework."

Knowing that Mum already placed her foot down, Dad kept quiet and began to read his newspaper while Tyler choked in laughter while drinking his orange juice. I, on the other hand, wanted to slam my face right on my breakfast.

No kid ever wants homework. The world would be a happier place if teachers just understood that.

* * *

So I ditched my homework and sat at my usual spot at the roof. The sun was nice and warm on my skin. I kept thinking how nice it would be if I could go out on the beach.

Then a midnight blue minivan pulled around the corner. I recognized it as Russell and Lory's minivan. The new kid is probably with them already.

My thoughts were answered when the van parked on the house next to mine and a boy just about my age got out of the car. He had a cap on and the shade prevented me to see his face. But even from afar, I can see his broad smile, showing off a wide set of shark teeth.

A smile made its way on my face. Now that's something you don't see everyday.

As if the boy sensed me looking, he turned and raised his head. The sunlight gave me a clear look on his face. His burgundy hair peeked out from the sides of his cap, and his red eyes - a shade lighter than his hair - looked up at me.

I doubted he saw me though since the sun was too bright for him to look up the roof. Nonetheless, I looked into his eyes the same way he supposedly looked at me.

"Charlie, Russell and Lory are here with the new kid," Mum called from inside my room. "Let's go give him a welcome."

I sighed and climbed down to my veranda, and when I looked back next door, I saw the new kid with his backpack going inside his new house. Mum pulled me inside and forced me out of my so-called dreadful pajamas and into a girly dress.

* * *

"Charlie, this is Rin," Lory introduced. Russell was in Rin's room, fixing up and settling his baggage. "Rin, this is Charlotte, but she likes to be called Charlie. Be good friends with her, okay?" Then she and Mum went to treat kitchen and started talking about stuff their age would talk about.

Rin and I shook hands. While my hand was still encased his, I pulled him close for a hug and gave him a kiss on the cheek. I watched as his face burned a bright red, almost as red as his eyes. I let out a soft giggle.

He was awfully quiet for someone who looked pretty excited to be here, and Lory spoke to him very slowly as if he was a child. My eyebrows raised as I figured his problem.

He was bad at English.

I let out a snort in my efforts to hold in my laughter. So he came to Australia being bad at English. His eyebrow raised in confusion. My eyes trailed over to his jacket's pocket. I caught a glimpse of his swimming goggles.

"Do you swim?" Rin asked with his really awkward accent.

"Definitely," I replied. Then a thought popped in my head. "Wanna head out to the beach?"

Rin's face brightened at the word 'beach', then he looked at Mum's and Lory's figure in the kitchen. I rolled my eyes and grabbed his arm, pulling him to the front door.

"They wouldn't even know we were gone."

* * *

 **Ta-da. Prologue's up, peeps. Tell me whatcha think. Although you probably can't tell much from a prologue. Ah well...**

 **Reviews and faves/follows are greatly appreciated. Seriously, no writer likes a silent reader. Well, most of them. Love 'ya!**

 **Also, my next update with not be this. On New Year's Eve and New Year's, I'll be updating my other stories _, My Other Half_ and _Melt My Frozen Heart (on my Wattpad account under the same username),_ so feel free to stop by and read those as well. Those stories need some lovin' too.**


	2. Chapter 1

****Chapter 1 (Not proofread because I'm taking a summer job and I'm tired most of the time because I don't like sleeping)****

 ** **(Still flashback)****

"The beach is here," Rin mentioned as we walked along the shoreline.

Before I could snap at him for stating the obvious, I remembered that he wasn't that good at English and could only manage the simplest sentence patterns. I was able to understand that he actually meant "The beach is here, so why we still walking?".

"I know a good place to swim," I told him. "So, what stroke do you swim?"

" _ _Batta__ and __furi,__ " Rin answered.

I pondered for a moment before coming into understanding. "Butterfly and freestyle?" I clarified. He nodded. "Hmm, we're the same. We should have a match. Free?"

Rin's eyes sparkled at my words. A large smile began to appear on his lips, showing a large set of shark-like teeth. He pulled a pair of goggles from his jacket, and I did the same on mine.

"Always prepared, huh?" I grinned. "You know what? I like you." We walked a few meters until we arrived at a secluded area with a small cave nearby. I began taking off my shirt and jogging pants, revealing a bikini crop top and shorts. Rin did the same, while I was carefully folding my clothes and setting them on top of a rock near the opening of the cave.

"You ready?" Rin smiled, stretching out his arms and legs.

"I was born ready, sharkie," I smirked, cracking my neck in attempts to be cool. Which I am, of course. Though the cracking noise made Rin cringe uncomfortably.

* * *

Rin and I swam to our hearts' content, racing a few rounds around the boulder that sat on the ocean. By the time we had our fill, we staggered to get out of the water and crawled onto the sand. Both of us fell on our backs and stared at the cloudy sky.

"You are fast," Rin panted.

"I'm the fastest in my team," I bragged, also panting. "You're pretty good too. Were you the best from where you were in Japan?"

Rin was silent for a moment. "Yes," he answered. Then he got up and extended a hand to me. "Let's go?"

* * *

By the time we got back home, Lory and Mum weren't very pleased. Well, more on Mum. Lory was just glad that the kid she just agreed to care for was back in one piece. Worrying aside, she seemed quite happy that Rin made a friend.

"I was just showing him around," I said, sensing that Mum was starting to make a fuss.

"Without our permission," Mum added. "Rin just got here. Do you think he might've been tired? Jetlagged? And you have homework to finish, young lady."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes but settled for an exasperated sigh. "Fine, Mum," I said. "Sorry, Lory. It won't happen again."

"No harm done, dear," Lory waved me off. "Just tell us next time if you want to go somewhere. Seems like both of you will be hanging out a lot at the beach, eh?"

My eyes drifted to Mum and saw hints of a sour face. I giggled and so did Rin. Our eyes met, and I gave him a wink with a thumbs up.

* * *

"Rin?" I called out when my eyes caught a familiar hair of maroon. I quickly cycled as fast as I could to catch up with him. Although I did almost ran him over. Well, maybe I did, and we fell on the ground with a crash.

"Charlie?" Rin said in his thick accent, looking confused and dazed from the stumble. He got up and pulled me to my feet as well. Then we both began patting the dirt from our uniforms.

"Hey, good mornin'," I greeted with a massive grin. "First day of school, huh?" I got up on my bike again and patted the seat behind me. "Want a ride?"

"Thank you... very much," Rin said slowly. "How about me drive?"

I giggled. "It's 'How about __I__ drive?'," I corrected. "And sure. I'll take you up on that offer." I moved backwards to the passenger seat and let him mount the bike. As he began to paddle, my arms quickly wrapped around his waist as I almost fell off.

Rin tensed around my arms, and when I glanced at the back of his head, I noticed that the tips of his ears were pink. I grinned knowingly but remained silent about it. I also didn't mention that I could hear his racing heartbeat against my palm.

* * *

"I mean, the joke wasn't that bad to be honest," I told Rin. It was lunch time, and we opted to eat out on the benches under the trees. I preferred to sit in the cafeteria, where I usually sit alone, but Rin insisted on eating in the outdoors. "You just had a weak punchline, I guess."

"Punchline?" Rin raised his brow. The embarrassment was still etched on his face. The poor guy decided to tell a joke for his introduction. What he expected to be a fun reaction to his joke on his name – who knew Rin was a girl's name? – turned out to be a sea of silence and confused expressions.

"Yeah. You know? Nobody got the joke," I shrugged, munching on my sandwich. "It can't be worse than my first day though. I had a bad hair day, and if I wasn't wearing a skirt, everyone would probably think I was a boy." I continued, "I guess that's why most people just call me Charlie. That's usually a boy's name, you know."

Hearing nothing but silence, I turned to Rin. I almost blushed when I realised that he had been staring at me this whole time. "What?" I said. "Is there mayonnaise on my face?"

Rin shook his head. There was a long pause before he spoke in his accent that I was getting accustomed to. "You... are pretty," he said slowly. "You are not a boy."

Being surprised was a understatement. It wasn't everyday that people called me pretty. Well, Dad did, but Tyler and Mum always nagged be about trying to try and be more girly. In my attempt to spite them, I spent more and more time doing the opposite to the point of not even bothering to brush my hair.

So I did the only reasonable reaction you could do in this situation. I laughed. I laughed my guts out. "You... you're pretty hilarious," I wheezed, patting his back. "Now __that__ is a funny joke."

Only when my laughter died down did I realise that he was serious, and that was when I felt unbearably awkward. I needed to change the subject. Pronto.

"You sure? Even though I beat your ass several times in freestyle?" I snorted out for good measure.

Rin scoffed and flicked a grain of rice to my face. "You are a girl," he said. "I am going easy in you."

I scoffed back. "It's 'going easy __on__ you,' and I am absolutely sure I can beat you, even on butterfly," I said.

Rin smiled and returned to eating his lunch, nodding his head mockingly. "After school?" he offered.

"It's on, sharkie."

* * *

"Not again," I heard the school's swimming coach groan. As much as he loved my enthusiasm for swimming, he wasn't as appreciative of me intimidating every other athlete on the swim team. Yet, it never stopped him being curious and volunteering to be the spectator on my informal matches.

"Hey, coach," I greeted with Rin right beside me. "This is Rin. He's the new exchange student from Japan. Rin, this is Coach Willy. He's in-charge of the school's swim team."

"It's Coach __William__ ," Coach corrected. "This girl just likes to take the piss out of me." He stuck out his hand. "Welcome aboard, Rin. You planning to join the swim team?"

Rin blinked, trying to process what coach said. I couldn't blame him. Coach was a fast-talker. Still, Rin tried to be formal and shook his hand anyway. " _ _Hajimemashite__ ," he said, bowing.

Coach looked at me and stared blankly.

"Don't look at me," I shrugged. "I'm no translator. Although I did tell him to be himself and lay off the Japanese jokes." I nudged Rin. "That was not a joke, right?"

Rin shook his head. "It is Japanese greeting," he said. "You said no jokes."

"Oh, that settles it then," I said, clapping my hands. "We're gonna have a match." Earning a worried look from Coach Willy, I assured him. "This one is really good. I promise. Think of this match as an initiation then."

"When have I ever doubted you, Charlie?" Coach Willy sighed in defeat. Then he smiled slightly. He nudged his head over to the locker rooms. "Go get changed. You too, Rin."

Fifteen minutes after changing and stretching for warm-up, we were set on the diving board. As usual, my fellow teammates were sitting by the poolside to watch the match. I grinned and readied myself. When I heard the shrill sound of the whistle, we jumped.

Racing with Rin on a proper pool than the wavy beach was extremely different. He was faster, but so was I. Probably because of the audience we had, he was more aggressive, but so was I.

I slapped my hand on the tile, pulling my head out of the water. I swallowed deep gulps of air back into my lungs, panting from exertion. "Verdict, coach?" I asked breathlessly.

"Rin wins," Coach Willy said, checking his stopwatch, "by .2 seconds."

"Goddamn it!" I splashed Rin while still laughing.

He responded by smashing his arms in the water in cheer, splashing me as well.

"I take it that you are joining the swim team then," Coach Willy said to Rin.

"Of course, he is." I slung my arm over Rin's shoulder before dunking his head underwater. "I still have to beat his ass one day."

Rin emerged from the water and grinned at me, showing off his sharp teeth. "You try best," he said in his broken English.

"Hey, check that out," I said, glancing at the side. "My defeat may have earned you some new friends."

Rin turned and saw a group of guys who were waving at him once they got his attention. He smiled and waved back. He turned to me. "Thank you. You're my first friend."

"I better be."

* * *

 **Eyy, first update of summer! Honestly, I don't know how Japanese speak broken English. Since English wasn't my first language and didn't start speaking much of it until elementary, I just wrote common mistakes in grammar, hoping it wasn't offensive at all. Come to think of it, I probably spoke broken English like this. Not Japanese though.**

 **Anyways, any suggestions on what you want to happen in this story. I figured out point A and point B, but anything in between? Still really fuzzy, so I might need some help.**

 ** **Reviews and faves/follows are greatly appreciated. Seriously, no writer likes a silent reader. Well, most of them. Love 'ya!****


	3. Note

**So, first off, apologies for the lack of update this week. I got sick. Yay. I'm a tad bit better, but I don't have that much interest in writing if I'm blowing my nose and/or coughing my lungs out every five seconds. Probably my fault as well because I cannot stop eating sweets. Bite me. Also, I just can't think properly with my nose stuffed. It's annoying.**

 **Second, nobody really read the latest update. Sure I haven't updated in a while so that's expected. I'm not bummed, more neutral rather. Though I do appreciate who were holding on to their seat and left a message. DarkLordofMemes, thank you, and you have the best username on this site. Lmao. I'll add your idea to the next update and give you a mention too.  
**

 **I'm trying to force out the next update as soon as I can, sick or not. Love 'ya!  
**


	4. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Time!" Coach Willy clicked on his stopwatch. He checked the time and proudly smiled at me. "Three seconds faster," he noted. "You just keep on getting better. Keep it up, Charlie." He scribbled notes on his clipboard before tapping my head with his pen. "Now, get out of here. I have the boys coming in for practice in a while."

"Absolutely, not that the boys pay any attention to me," I grinned, hoisting myself off the pool. I grabbed a towel and headed to the showers. On the way there, I caught sight of the boys swimming team entering the pool house for their practice. I easily found Rin and jogged over to him. "Hey," I bumped his side with my shoulder. "Did Russell and Lori tell you about tomorrow?"

Rin looked at me confused, clearly answering me that his home-stay parents did not.

"Well, spoiler alert," I said, watching him as he began to stretch his arms and legs. I noticed the other guys peeking at me from the corner of their eyes but took no mind of me. Even Coach Willy just passed by me to retrieve his clipboard for the boy's swim team. "So since it's your first week here in Australia, Russell and Lori thought that it would be nice to show you some... Australian things, so we're going to a zoo tomorrow and an aquarium after that. Then we're all having a little camp out by the beach." I caught sight of Coach Willy pointing his finger at me then to the showers. "To make things short, a weekend of fun." I patted Rin's bare shoulder then lightly jogged away. "I'll meet you after practice, okay?"

* * *

"G'day, Charlie," Russell lightly thumped my shoulder. Usually he would go for my back, but I currently had my backpack on with the things I needed for this weekend. "Rin's just finishing up. He had a late start today. Training's been rough, huh?"

"Probably different from what he's used to," I shrugged. "It's an adjustment process, I guess. Coach Willy is certainly different from my elementary swim coach. That woman was pretty chill."

"I hear that you're really helping him a lot, even with his English classes," Russell said. "I really appreciate it."

I smiled shyly. "I don't get a lot of friends," I admitted. "I would rather keep the ones that do stay." Feeling a bit awkward for opening up to my neighbour, I said, "I'll go see what Rin's up to." I ran inside and took a little detour to greet Winnie before heading to Rin's door and knocked.

"Come in."

"Hey," I entered his bedroom. "You ready?"

Rin, who was hunched over his desk, immediately stuffed a couple of papers into an envelope. He sealed it shut and stuffed it in the pocket of his jacket. He grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. "Let's go."

"We still have fifteen minutes," I told him. "They're still loading up the vans with camping stuff and food." I caught sight of the envelope peeking from his pocket. "Is that for your friend?" I asked, glancing at it.

"Yes," Rin replied shortly, pushing the envelope further in his pocket. He cleaned up his bed before heading to the door. "Come on."

I paused and surveyed Rin's room. It was the complete opposite of mine. His floor was clean and didn't have a single item of clothing littered over it. Even his bed was neatly made. "Your room is pretty tidy," I pointed out. "Is it a Japanese thing?"

"Maybe," Rin shrugged. "Do you not clean room?"

"I constantly get nagged for it," I chuckled. "It's not a mess though. I would rather call it an organised clutter."

Rin nodded thoughtfully, smiling in amusement.

"Okay, fine," I admitted. "I only clean it once I start tiptoeing around my room. I got better things to do, you know?"

"Rin! Charlie!" Lori called out from outside the house. "Time to go!"

* * *

"Hey, it's my turn!" I whined, reaching out for the koala.

"It is not letting go," Rin said, making no effort to separate with the cuddly marsupial. "It's so cute."

I huffed and crossed my arms. I looked up to the caretaker who was watching them in amusement along with our parents. I poked her on the arm to gain her attention. "It's my turn," I said, frowning impatiently.

"Oh, hush now, Charlie," Mum tutted at me.

"We're here for your boyfriend, remember?" Tyler teased, lightly elbowing me in my side. "Besides, we've been here three times! That koala's probably sick of your ugly mug."

I glared at my brother. Then a smirk emerged on my face. "Fine," I shrugged in false defeat. "If I can't carry a koala," I said, stepping closer to Tyler, "then I'll be the koala!" I jumped for Tyler, wrapped my legs around his waist, and wound my arms around his neck.

"Ow! Mum!" Tyler choked, his legs wobbled as he struggled to stay balanced. "Can't... breathe..." He repeatedly tapped on my arms as a plea to release him.

"Man, you really need to get more exercise, Ty," I suggested, giggling. I loosened my arms to give my brother some air but remained attached to him. "Even Rin has more muscular arms than you."

"Oh, shut it," Tyler scoffed, reaching back to grab hold of my legs to steady me on his back. "You're getting quite heavy as well there, Charlotte."

I grimaced at my brother's use of my real name but quickly grinned. "All muscle weight, dear brother," I bragged.

"Do you still want a turn with him?" the caretaker asked me, looking amused with our sibling banter.

"With the koala or the shark?" Tyler snickered.

I hopped off Tyler's back and lightly kicked his leg, making him yelp. "Heck, yeah," I cheered. I slowly approached Rin and the koala. Instead of taking the koala, who still seemed to not want to separate from Rin, I just reached over and hugged them both.

"Now isn't that adorable," Lori commented, giggling.

I tried not to notice Rin's arm reaching around to hug me as well nor be aware that he was blushing and tried to hide it behind the furry head of the koala. Tyler certainly did and did not hesitate to point it out, embarrassing Rin and me. What a little shit.

* * *

"Why are you giving me this?" Rin asked when I handed him the paper bag of animal feed. "Isn't this yours?"

"I only bought one bag," I shrugged, reaching in and grabbing a handful of feeds which I then stuffed in the pocket of my jacket. "The others aren't coming with us, by the way. They're off to get lunch, so we have about an hour to just wander around the petting zoo."

Rin narrowed his eyes at me. "Why only one bag?" he asked.

I smiled slyly at him and began making my way for the emus. "Because I can't run thirty miles per hour, Rin," I said, "and they can get really excited if they're hungry and spot a bag full of food."

"What?" Rin looked worried. "Charlie, come back here! Charlie!"

I just laughed and continued walking with Rin cautiously trailing behind me.

Rin was hiding behind my back during the first few minutes, but after feeding a couple of emus, he was able to started wandering by himself. Just as I suspected, a couple of emus caught sight of the paper bag and began stalking Rin. Rin broke out into a light jog to escape, but once realising that he wouldn't be left alone, he threw half the food pellets to the ground and made his final escape. Thankfully it didn't turn into a full chase.

I, on the other hand, was laughing my heart out at the scene that played before me. After three birds, my feeds had already ran out so I decided to just chill out with some ducks in a nearby cage. Rin shortly joined me, looking mildly harassed, making me laugh even harder.

"I'm impressed," I said, grinning. "You're as fast on land as you are on water."

Rin pouted at me and began walking to the kangaroo cages. "A small warning next time," he grumbled.

I jogged to catch up to him. "I did warn you." I laughed when he grumbled again and walked faster to avoid me.

The kangaroos were a step up. They seemed to like Rin, and he seemed to be extremely fascinated by the albino kangaroo that the wildlife park had. Not to mention his amazement with that one kangaroo that was carrying a joey in its pouch.

We then moved to look at bandicoots that Rin thought were simple rodents. Moving on to the next cage, there were a few platypuses, which Rin commented to be like misshapen ducks. After going through the other marsupials in smaller cages, we ended at the cage where a pack of dingoes were napping.

"Shiba inu," Rin muttered.

I raised my brow at him in confusion. "What?"

"Dingoes look like shiba inu," Rin said. He pulled out his phone and typed something in before showing me a photo of a dog that looked very similar to a dingo. "Very many in Japan," he added.

"It's fluffier though," I smiled, zooming in on the dog. "I want one! Mum isn't fond of pets though. Is this dog yours?"

"My sister's friend's," Rin answered.

"You didn't tell me you had a sister," I said. "Is she into sports like you?"

Rin opened his mouth to answer but closed it as if he didn't know what to answer. "Maybe," was his response with a small shrug.

"There you guys are!" Tyler called out, huffing as he jogged towards us. "Haven't you checked your phone? Mum's been texting you for the past ten minutes!" He stared at me intently. "Please don't tell me you tried to snatch another wombat."

"For the last time, I didn't steal that wombat! It snuck inside my backpack!"

* * *

On the way to the aquarium, we had lunch which also made Rin slightly queasy from eating while inside a moving vehicle. After I devoured my burger and fries, I was ready to take a nap, but unfortunately, we were nearing the aquarium. I was beginning to doze off with my head leaning on Rin's shoulder when I was tapped awake by Tyler who was riding in Russell and Lori's car in exchange of Rin.

"Okay, lovebirds," Tyler teased, reaching through the window and poking my cheek. "Get off your asses. We're here."

I sighed heavily and crawled out of the car. I then jumped on Tyler's back and snuggled in his neck, starting to fall asleep again. "Move, horsey."

Tyler grunted at my weight before chuckled and steadying himself. "Some thirteen year old you are."

"Someone needs to counter you, old man," I snorted.

After paying for our passes, we managed to get through the different aquariums and tanks of jellyfish and octupi before Tyler's arms were giving out. After claiming that I was a fat ass, he dropped me on my feet, saying, "Sorry, ma'am. This one's out of gas. If you want another ride, you can request one from your boyfriend." He jutted his thumb at Rin, who was busy poking at the aquarium glass from being amused at the octopus that was disguising itself as a rock.

"Do you even lift, bro?" I rolled my eyes. "And stop calling Rin my boyfriend. It's weird. He just moved here two weeks ago."

"He clearly likes you, which is surprising because you repel boys with that attitude of yours," Tyler said in a matter of fact tone.

"The only reason he likes me is because I can beat his ass on the water and not for the reasons you are assuming, so quit it."

"Not reasons," Tyler corrected, shrugging. "It's just one, and that reason is that he has a big fat cru— OWW!"

"Hey," I innocently smiled at Rin who was approaching us while my brother who was rubbing the spot on his arm that I just pinched the hell out of.

* * *

"Can I scale the fish? Can I scale the fish please?" I pleaded, putting on the best puppy eyes I can muster.

"Absolutely not. Lori and I will do that," Mum frowned, pulling the set of utensils. "Your father just sharpened the knives before we left. Only fish goes in this icebox, not fingers."

"Can I grill the fish then?"

"No," Dad said, hoisting out the fishing rods from the back of the vehicle. "Tyler, Russell, and I will be grilling the fish. You'll probably be playing with the coals anyway."

"Gee, I love your faith in me, Dad." I gave him a blank look. "What am I supposed to do then?"

"You kids will be cutting ingredients for the fish stuffing and salads," Lori said, patting my shoulder in attempts to cheer me up.

"We don't even get to try fishing," I pouted, crossing my arms.

"You're horrible at fishing," Tyler teased, sniggering.

"We figured you kids would enjoy swimming at the beach while we're out," Russell said.

At the word "swimming," Rin, who was silent but showed amusement at the bacl-and-forth banter, perked up. "I like that plan," he said.

"It's settled then," Dad said, ruffling my hair. "Tyler, grab the bait box and head to the boat. Russell and I will be setting up the hooks."

I followed Tyler to the car to grab my swimsuit and goggles. On the way, Tyler made an off-handed comment, saying, "Sunset swimming, huh? Romantic date." Needless to say, he headed to the boat with sand all over his back when I tripped him on our way back.

* * *

"Whew," I panted, crawling back to the shoreline and lying back on the warm sand. The sun was already setting, and I could see that the fishing boat Dad and Russell rented out was heading back towards the shore as well.

I rolled over to look at Rin who was lying down beside me, also trying to catch his breath. "I bet you a waffle from that café across the street that I beat you on the next lap."

"No." Rin shook his head, laughing. "I telling you. I saw shark in water during last lap."

I snorted and lightly flicked my goggles rubber band at him. "That was most likely a big fish. The only shark out here is you," I teased, blowing him a raspberry. After that, we were just lying down in silence, admiring how the sky gradually turned into an angry shade of orange as the minutes passed.

Then Rin sat up. "It's pretty, the sunset," he said. He grabbed my arm and helped me sit up to enjoy the view as well.

"Lori mentioned that you lived near the ocean. Are the sunsets as beautiful in the land of the rising sun?" I smiled playfully, careful not to let him be more homesick than he probably already was.

"Yeah," Rin replied, seeming to look farther than just the sunset on the horizon. "Better with friends."

"I'm your friend." I nudged his shoulder. "You miss them, huh?"

Rin nodded.

"Tell me about them."

After that, I seemed to have opened a different side of Rin. He still had some difficulty telling his stories in English, but he looked happier and had a more genuine grin on his face. Free from his usual shyness, he talked of his friends from a swim club back in Japan, each with their own dynamic personalities. However, the one who I noticed he talked about much was a boy named Haru.

"No way," I laughed with tears leaking from my eyes. "He really jumped in the water?"

"Yes, really," Rin said, laughing as well. "Haru is best swimmer." Then he continued with a grin, "After me."

I rolled my eyes. "I thought I was the best swimmer. Has Haru ever beaten you?" I teased with a challenging look.

"Yes. A lot," Rin said softly, a fond look in his eyes. "He is only friend I let beat me in swimming."

I slapped Rin's bare back. "Tell ya what," I said, "You're the only guy I will lose to in swimming." Smiling bashfully, I continued, "Well, you're basically one of my only friends. Everyone else thinks it's too weird for a girl to be competitive as I am."

Rin glanced at me and smiled. "You make good friend for Sousuke," he said.

"Man, you have a lot of friends," I grinned. "I'm quite jealous. Well, you should introduce me to Sousuke then. The more, the merrier, right?"

"Letter you saw?" Rin began.

"It was for him?" I finished, and Rin nodded.

"I write about you before."

I raised my brows in surprise. "Really? Very flattering," I smiled teasingly, hiding my inner embarrassment. "What did you write about?"

"You almost beat me in race."

I relaxed before bursting out in laughter. "Excuse me, sharkie," I said. "I did beat you on a couple of occasions. Don't get cocky." I earned an eye roll from Rin at that remark. "Did you get a reply?"

The Rin I knew returned as he blushed and looked away. "He said I like you."

At times like this, I've always deflected from the subject. In the span of a month, I knew that Rin was somewhat attached to me in a way that was more than just friendship. Crushes weren't an odd thing to experience at our age, but to be fair, it was completely awkward, considering that I focus most of my attention to swimming and continue to act oblivious to Rin's feelings.

Which is why I may or may not regret what I am about to say in the long run.

"Do you?"

Rin glanced at me and nodded shyly.

I closed my eyes and, in attempts to avoid misunderstandings that might hurt his feelings, I resisted the urge to sigh, knowing my assumptions were right. It may be awkward to friend-zone a good friend of yours, but it is also awkward to assume that someone has a crush on you. At this moment, I didn't know which was worse nor do I know how to reply.

I did regret it in the long run... or short run. I dug myself into a hole, and I didn't know how to get out. So, I only said the most common reply in this situation.

"Thanks."

Followed by a pat on the shoulder. A pat. A freaking pat.

The tension in the atmosphere was incredibly thick, and now, I really wished Rin agreed to that last lap. I needed to say something. _Your arm, Charlie, your arm hasn't left his shoulder yet. Take it off._ I think my brain just short-circuited.

"You guys dating now or what?" Tyler called out from the boat that was close enough to the shoreline.

I took that as my chance to escape. I grabbed a tiny pebble and threw it at my brother, missing and passed over his head and into the water. I got a raspberry in return.

"Hey, watch it," Dad shouted. "It's a rental, kiddo."

* * *

"So, what's the score?" Tyler whispered over to me while I was setting the table. He was bringing a stack of glasses and a pitcher of water.

I rolled my eyes. "I've known the guy for a month," I said. "We're friends. Mum will tear me out a new one if it was something more."

"Romantic sunset viewing did not work then?"

I irritably groaned, slamming a plate on the wooden table. "No, it didn't!" I snapped. "It is also quite disturbing how you are pushing your own little sister to have a boyfriend. Aren't you supposed to be a protective brother?"

"Hey." Tyler set the glasses down on the table, took a step back, and raised his hands in surrender. "I just like being a little shit. It's basically my job description as your older brother." He poked me in the side, making me smile a bit. "And what do you mean little? You're thirteen. You're practically an old lady."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "What does that make you then, ancient one?"

"With age comes wisdom, my dear sister." Tyler poked his nose up in the air. Then he looked at me fondly. "But teasing aside, I like him. Try to keep this one around. He's good for you."

I looked at my brother, disturbed. "Can you stick being a little shit? You're freaking me out. Are you dying or something?" I asked, shuddering from the awkward show of affection.

"I'm just saying," Tyler said, shrugging. "You're too focused on swimming and competing that you barely have any friends. It's nice seeing you hanging out with someone and just enjoy being young."

I pondered and took in Tyler's words. Knowing deep inside that he was right, I wrapped my free arm around his back and pulled him in for a side-hug. I let him go after a while and shuddered, bashful from the rare show of affection.

"You do know that only old people say that kind of advice, right?"

* * *

"Bed time, young lady," Mum scolded, light thumping the back of my head.

"But I want to look at the stars a little longer," I whined, huffing as I got to my feet. I dragged my feet along the sand and headed for the tents. "I bet Tyler's already snoring his ass off inside."

"You do know I can hear you, right?!" Tyler yelled from inside the tent.

"Both of you, hush!" Mum hissed, pinching my side. "Your dad, as well as Lory and Russell, are already asleep." She gave me a light shove toward the tents.

"Hey, he's the one who yelled," I complained, still making my way to the tents. I opened the flap and paused at the sight of Rin reading a book, half-tucked in inside his sleeping back. I turned at Tyler, looking at him questioningly. He merely gave me a shrug from inside his sleeping bag.

Then Mum gave me a light shove from my behind.

"Hey, watch it," I whined, stepping inside the tent. I carefully crawled to my sleeping bag that was set beside Rin, who was in between me and Tyler. As I climbed inside my sleeping bag, I asked Tyler, "Aren't you supposed to be in the middle?"

"I prefer to be as far from you as possible, so no, thank you," Tyler replied, closing his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Rin merely looked at his left and right as he followed the incoming banter.

"You tend to cling to people like a bloody koala while you're asleep," Tyler murmured, his voice sounding like he was beginning to fall asleep.

"I'll keep my arms inside the sleeping bag then," I pouted, even though Tyler was fast asleep and couldn't see me. I stuffed my arms inside the bag and crossed them. I leaned my head to the side. "Good night," I said to Rin before closing my eyes.

I faintly heard a reply from Rin, which might have been good night in his language.

Thenext day, I found myself half-out of my sleeping bag with my arms around Rin'ssleeping bag and my face buried in his chest. To my surprise, his arms werealso around me with his chin tucked under his head.

* * *

 **Because I've been AWOL, I made this chapter a tad bit longer. Also, sorry that it's still friggin' late. I can probably give out a billion reasons, but who cares about that right? Ah well.**

 **A little question. Anyone open to BTS fanfics? Maybe some drabbles? Leave a review if you guys want it here.**

 **Reviews and faves/follows are greatly appreciated. I need that yucky praise. I didn't proofread this chapter, so someone point out any errors if you guys spot any.**


	5. Chapter 3

**Whaa? Early update? 3.3k words? Actually proofread? Who am I? Have I been abducted by aliens and replaced by a robot? Who knows?**

 **Enough crazy talk. Enjoyyy.**

* * *

 **(Present time)**

"What is 'please' again?" Rin quizzed me.

"O-ona," I began and paused at Rin's raised eyebrow. "One?" Rin nodded. "Onegaishimasu." I exhaled as if I just ran a mile. "Ugh, this sucks," I groaned, tossing my Japanese notes on his study table and fell backwards on his bed. "I can barely keep up a conversation with you."

Rin wheeled his desk chair over to me and whacked the notes on my forehead. "At least you can keep up a conversation with me," he said. "Now, get off my bed. I just changed my sheets last night."

I sat up and looked at him, appalled. "Are you insinuating that I stink? I took a shower before I came over," I huffed, snatching my notes from him.

Rin rolled his eyes. "Don't be dramatic. I mean, you're crumpling my sheets," he said. "Now, come on. Kanji time."

I groaned again. "Tell me again why I asked you to teach me Japanese," I sighed, grabbing my pencil. "Your English is better since you first arrived, so I no longer need to learn random Japanese words from you."

"Well, you can understand basic Japanese. Why not go further and practice your reading and speech skills?" Rin said. "They say bilingual people are smarter, you know."

I scoffed. "Now, are you insinuating that you're smarter than me? I scored higher than you during midterms. Thank you very much."

"Not in that history pop quiz last week," Rin teased.

Before I could retort, my phone alarm went off. As if something shifted in the air in the room, Rin and I jumped to our feet. I stuffed my notes and pencil in my backpack and immediately ran out the door. "Race you to the shore!" I laughed when Rin stumbled over his feet as I dashed past him.

Rin easily caught up to me halfway to the beach. While I still ran, he slowed down to a jog right beside me. I pouted at the clear height difference between us. Ever since Rin hit his growth spurt last summer, he continued getting taller, which meant he got faster as well – both on land and in the water. Still, that didn't stop me or him competing against each other as our usual friendly banter.

When I began to slow, Rin continued jogging ahead of me. "Hurry up, slowpoke," he called out. "I thought this was a race to the shore."

"Shut up, sharkie," I shouted while panting to catch up. I braced myself and sped up, my eyes locked on his broad back. "Watch out," I giggled before latching onto his shoulders.

"Oomph." Rin grunted at my sudden weight pulling him down. His hands instinctively grabbed at my thighs to keep himself balanced. "Hmm, your thighs are more toned," he said, squishing my thighs.

"Hey!" I blushed and wrapped my arms around his neck, lightly choking him. "Stop your fondling, sir." I paused and felt his shoulders. "Now that you mentioned it. Your shoulders are a bit broader."

"Nice to know those butterfly laps are doing its job," Rin said, starting to speed up to a jog. "How's your time this week?"

"Three seconds faster," I answered. "I heard your coach gave you a rough time last Friday." Ever since we graduated from middle school, swimming teams were separated by boys and girls, each with their own respective coaches. From what I heard, the boys' team coach can be extremely strict with their swimming regimen.

I instantly felt Rin tensing against me as well as his grip that tightened on my thighs.

"It's fine," he answered tersely.

"Hey, you can always join the girls' team," I teased, hoping to brighten up his mood. I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a back hug. "Your name can earn you a spot in the team."

Rin responded by pinching my right thigh, making me yelp and struggle in his grip. Despite me trying to get back at him for that, we still ended up laughing on the way to the beach. By the time we got there, the sky began turning purple and orange as the sun began to slowly set.

I slipped off my sandals and sunk my feet in the warm sand. Reveling in the softer rays of sunlight, I pulled my shirt over my head, leaving me in my black beach shorts and bikini top. I tried to not notice Rin staring at the motion, but I did.

"Take a picture. It'll last longer," I smirked. Although it was still weird knowing that Rin had a crush on me, it grew out of the awkward phase over the past couple of years. Even though I teased him about it in several occasions, he can also get back at me for checking him out in his swimming attire.

Like I was doing now.

"I do have a picture," Rin said, making me raise my brow in question. "That camping trip we had last month," he provided. I pretended not to stare at his bare arms as he folded up his shirt and baggy pants. "Then again, you have more pictures of me topless." He turned to me, definitely catching me.

I rolled my eyes and threw my balled-up shirt in his face. Before Rin can hit me back, I quickly ran for the sea. Having Rin call out to me and hearing his footsteps approaching from behind, I giggled as I dove straight in the water.

Because the waves were particularly stronger today, Rin and I were short of a couple laps on our personal beach training regimen. Despite not meeting our goal, both of us were exhausted as we lied down on the warm sand, gasping for breath. With my head resting on his outstretched arm, I chuckled and patted his bare chest, leaving my palm on his skin. "Beat you twice on those final laps."

"Still one win more than you," Rin laughed breathily.

"Arse." I slapped his bicep. I reached down and poked his hairless armpit. "You know, I still think your shaving theory is crap."

"Is that why you do it too?" Rin smirked and rubbed his toes along my leg.

I slapped Rin's toned thigh as I cringed from the tickling sensation. "I had a date," I huffed, kicking his ankle for good measure.

"You didn't mention any date." Getting up on his elbows, Rin looked at me accusingly.

"I thought you didn't want to know," I shrugged, sitting up as well. "I didn't want you and Winnie 'joining in' on our jogging date again."

"Ah, so it's the same guy," Rin scoffed, shaking his head in disapproval.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Look, I'm not just saying this because I like you," Rin began, making me give him a skeptic smirk. "I'm really not." Rin raised his hand as an imitation of a scout's honor. "What I'm trying to say is that…"

"Yes?"

"He's a pig."

I burst out laughing. "I know, I know, but I'm not gonna lie. I like the attention," I giggled.

"Why? Your mum nagging is not enough attention for you?" Rin teased.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny, Rin." I blew him a raspberry while tossing a handful of sand to his abdomen. I tried to avert my eyes when Rin's stomach tensed as he patted away the sand. I've never been great at self-control, so my eyes remained glued to his muscles.

"Hey, the sunset is starting," Rin said, patting my shoulder.

Relieved that Rin kept his eyes on the horizon and remained oblivious to me ogling him, my eyes followed his and reveled at the sight of the golden sunset. Though this had been almost a habit of ours, watching the sunset was amazing and surreal every time. There were days that that it would be too cloudy to see the sun, but we still enjoy seeing bits of oranges and yellows spread through the clouds. There were also days that there were more purple and blues than the warm hues, and Rin and I would be too busy arguing about something to actually pay attention to the sunset.

"I'm leaving for Japan."

I turned to him so fast that any faster, I would have probably gotten whiplash.

Rin turned to meet my eyes and chuckled at the look on my face. "It's only for the summer. I'll be back before school starts," he said. Then he nudged my shoulder with his. "You should have seen the look on your face."

"Arse," I pouted.

"Try not to miss me too much," Rin teased. Then he shook his head. "Actually," he corrected himself, "try not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone."

"No promises."

* * *

"Has anyone told you that you're more of a little shit when Rin isn't here to tug on your leash?" Tyler groaned when I hung out in his room.

I rolled my eyes. I wasn't even annoying him _that_ much. I just hung out in his bed playing video games on my phone while he studied for his college admission exams. From time to time, he crumped pages of paper and tossed them on his paper bin, but since his aim was shit, his trash rolled over to my side of the room from time to time. So, I grabbed those paper balls and aimed them for his head.

"Well, you say that almost every waking moment of my life, so yes, I do know," I retorted.

Tyler groaned. "Another paper ball, and I'm kicking you out of my room," he threatened. "Didn't Mum tell you to do your summer book report? You know? The reason why she made me babysit you, even though I'm studying for an important exam?"

"Pfft. No one ever does those reports." I huffed and tossed my phone to the side. I've lost so much that I have to wait another half an hour to restore the lives. "Well, you probably did because you're a nerd."

"I'm sorry that I actually pay attention to school, unlike some who probably has a bubble for a brain," Tyler shot back. "That report would actually be easy if you tried and not just do the bare minimum."

"It's not like I'll use Shakespeare's sonnets as an athlete," I said, tossing another paper ball at the back of his head.

"Has it occurred to you that you can be good at more than one thing?" Tyler swirled his desk chair to look at me. "In a way, I understand why Mum isn't so supportive of you dedicating your whole life to swimming."

I groaned and rolled over in his bed. "You sound like Dad," I said. "Did he set you up to this?"

"Guilty," Tyler smirked. "You don't listen to either of them, so they put me up to it, knowing I don't take any of your shit."

"Fine, okay?" I said, resigned. "I'll try. Since all of you are so bent on this, I'll try a bit more. Happy?"

"Don't make us sound like we rained on your parade," Tyler frowned. "We're only doing this because–."

"Because you love me." I cut him off, sighing. "I know. I know," I said meaningfully.

* * *

 **(A few weeks later)**

I fidgeted with my fingers while rocking back and forth on the balls of my feet. I got even more restless when I noticed that Rin's plane rushing down the airway. I peered over the gates even though I know that the passengers haven't even left the plane yet.

"Meeting your boyfriend, kid?" a middle-aged man asked from his seat, looking at me in amusement.

"What?" I sputtered, turning red. "No, no. Just a friend."

He laughed. "I'm just teasing," he said. "Unless you really like this friend of yours."

I frowned, not liking my constant rise of embarrassment. "I… I need to make a call. Excuse me." I walked to a corner and dialed Lory. She picked up in two rings. "Hey, Lory. Rin's plane just landed. He might be down in a few minutes," I informed her.

"We're heading in right now," Lory replied. "No wonder Winnie's getting restless. Smart dog. Who's a smart girl? Yes, you are." Winnie gave off a faint yips of joy.

I chuckled and hung up. I turned to the escalator and perked up when I finally saw that hair of red slowly descending from the escalators. I waved at him with pure excitement when he just walked passed me. I blinked in confusion and looked twice at his back.

He was talking with another girl, possibly from the same flight as him. If my ears were still working well despite my rage of him just ignoring me, I could hear them conversing in Japanese. I could only make out a few words every now and then, but I still couldn't tell what they were talking about. He even looked happier and more easy-going, and that only gave me a heavy feeling knowing that one of my insecurities were true.

Rin and I were too different, and that scared me because he was the only friend I've got.

I swallowed the heavy load lodged in my throat and walked towards the exit. I passed Rin, who stopped by to bow and greet who looked to be the girl's homestay parents. He didn't even notice. However, the one who noticed me was Russell.

"You found Rin already?" he asked. "Lory's out cleaning up after Winnie. Good thing we let her out of the car before she made a mess." He chuckled in relief. "Are you alright?" he said, looking concerned.

I almost shook my head but held myself at the last minute. "My stomach hurts. I think I got the cramps," I lied easily, immediately getting that awkward male look when faced with menstruation talk. "I'll just go run to the toilet." Instead, I briskly walked to the exit. With my luck going down the drain, I ran into Lory who was waiting by the doors with Winnie.

"Oh? Where's Rin? I thought you'd both be attached at the hip by now," Lory giggled. Winnie, on the other hand, whined and intuitively licked my hand in attempts of comforting me. Lory noticed and asked, "Are you okay?"

I sighed. "I'm fine. I just feel a bit nauseous," I said half-honestly. "I'll catch a cab and head home first." Without waiting for her reply, I walked out, stuffing my hands in my hoodie pockets.

"Wha– Charlie, wait! Did you meet Rin already? Charlie!"

* * *

"I knew I'd find you here."

Just as my head emerged from the water, I saw Rin grinning at me, showing off his shark teeth. I would have smiled if I wasn't still angry, but my anger was mostly directed at me rather than at Rin. Without giving my lungs a break from my recent lap, I dove back into the ocean and swam away from him, ignoring his calls.

Suddenly, I felt a grip on my ankle then I was tugged to stop. I moved myself into an upright position and paddled my legs to keep my head above the water. "Rin, what the– Did you just get into the water with your clothes on?"

"What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?!" I shot back, louder. "I could've kicked you in the face!"

"I know you're not that stupid to kick me."

"Of course, I'm not," I huffed. I groaned and splashed him in frustration, unable to express my feelings. "You suck, you know that?"

"I don't even know what I did wrong!" Rin yelled at me. "I just got here an hour ago. Don't tell me I screwed something up again that quickly."

"Fine! You want the truth?" I snapped, then I caught myself. "What do you mean 'screwed something up'?"

Rin's face closed off. "Nothing," he blatantly lied. "You're clearly too pissed for this." He began to swim away, but I caught his ankle. "What happened to grabbing people's ankles?" he chuckled tightly.

"Did… did something happen back in Japan?" I asked, my anger melting into concern.

Rin looked like he wanted to tell another lie but surrendered to me. "I met Haru," he said. "I challenged him." He ran his fingers through his wet hair in agitation. "I lost. I wasn't even close."

"Don't take it too hard," I said, placing my hand on his shoulder for comfort. "Even I beat your ass several times."

Rin easily shrugged off my hand, and I won't lie that that stung quite a bit. "You don't understand. This is Haru!" he growled. "This just shows how I'm not improving. I'm still second-best. Whether it'd be here or in Japan, I'm just not good enough!"

I mellowed from his words. "Rin," I began, placing my hand on his shoulder again. This time he didn't shrug it off. "Life isn't a competition. You don't have to be the best all the time. You don't always have to win at everything."

"But…"

"No 'buts,'" I scolded. "Even Olympians also lost some time in their life. This is just a minor setback. Don't be such a loser and stay down," I teased.

Rin gave me a faint smirk before splashing me in the face. "Arse."

"Come here. I haven't given you your welcome back hug," I smiled, holding out my arms.

Rin easily swam towards me and into my arms. He tucked my head under my chin just like our usual hugs. Then I felt him slightly shaking in my arms.

"You're not crying, are you?" I received a sneeze as a reply, making me laugh. "Let's get out of the water," I suggested.

"Mmm, for a moment," Rin said, pulling me tighter. "I missed your hugs." He raised me slightly higher to keep me from going under the water. "Now, tell me. What were you so annoyed about?"

" _Shut up, and enjoy the moment_ ," I grumbled in Japanese.

"Hey, you practiced," Rin pulled me slightly away to look at me in praise. "Keep this up, and you can come along to Japan with me."

I rolled my eyes. "Pretty sure you would prefer with your new friend," I said, my jealousy slipping out. "You certainly converse with her far better than I can."

Rin looked taken aback at my sudden outburst. Then it was as if a lightbulb went off on the top of his head. "Are… are you jealous?" he resisted the urge to laugh. "So, you did see me at the airport." He couldn't help himself and burst out laughing. "We just sat next to each other at the plane. She's only staying for a year at Canberra."

"Okay, fine! I was jealous," I admitted, blushing despite the cold water. "So, if you're just going to shit on me, I'm leaving." I shrugged off his hands and began swimming away, but Rin grabbed my ankle and pulled me back to him. "I told you to stop grabbing my ank–mm!"

I wasn't able to finish my complaints because Rin just kissed me. I relaxed in his arms and immediately closed my eyes as I kissed him back. However, when a considerably large wave smacked me in the side, I returned to my senses and shoved him back.

"You… you just kissed me!" I exclaimed. My fingers lightly touched my lips, still feeling the tingles of Rin's lips against mine.

"You kissed me back!" Rin shot back. Then he smiled giddily. "You like me, don't you?"

"I do, so what?" I huffed in faux indifference. "It's getting cold," I lied, even though I was still burning up from the kiss. "Come on, let's get changed. I heard Lory is cooking up a homecoming dinner."

"Charlie, don't worry about it! You're the one I like!"

"Shut up!"

* * *

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